


The Magical Appreciation Society of Kirinites

by GoggleLad



Category: Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story
Genre: Dialogue-Only, Drama, Fluff, Gen, Sendoff for Ashley Taylor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27306406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoggleLad/pseuds/GoggleLad
Summary: "Hey everyone, Ashley and Kumanosuke are here with another meeting of the Magical Appreciation Society of Kirinites, where us diehard magical Kirinites meet up to talk about our favorite series and whatever else is going on in our lives!  Got any words to start us off, Prez?""Waah, are you doing the intro already?!  I'm not ready yet, I'm still putting on my Kirin cosplay!""Artist Karin, it's audio-only, no one can actually see you.""Haha, looks like it's another exciting kawaii day with MASK!"
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	The Magical Appreciation Society of Kirinites

**Author's Note:**

> This work was written for the Ashley Taylor Zine that leafbladie put together as a sendoff to everyone favorite American meguca! You can check out the rest on Twitter @AshleyZine.

“Good, everybody is here and looking kawaii! Let’s call to order the 7th meeting of the Magical Appreciation Society of Kirinites! Prez, do you wanna start us off?”

“The latest issue was super exciting, I never expected Kirin to use the plumbing like that to get in! And the callback to chapter seventeen was really good, I know it was subtle but I want to make sure to draw everyone’s attention to–”

“Excuse me, Artist Karin, I hate to interrupt, but…”

“O-oh, right! Everyone, we have a new member joining us today! I introduced Nagitan to Phantom Thief Magical Kirin and she likes it, so she’ll be joining us from now on. We’re all magical girls and Kirinites, so let’s get along!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Kanagi Izumi. I wouldn’t have looked for this series if it hadn’t been recommended to me, but I believe I’m becoming quite a fan of this author.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Kanagi! I’m Riko, Riko Chiaki. Oh, I brought lunches from my family’s shop, but I didn’t know we’d have four people, so there’s only three of them… Sorry…”

“Ack! That’s okay, Riko! It’s my fault for not letting you know ahead of time. We can all share! Like when they didn’t have enough oxygen masks in volume four!”

“I offer you my gratitude for being concerned for me, Riko.”

“And I’m Ashley, but you can just call me Ash! You know, Nagitan is a super kawaii nickname, but I wouldn’t have expected it from someone that’s so composed. Oh, but that’s not a bad thing, the gap moe actually makes it even better, I love it!”

“Ah, yes, that’s because Nagitan is actually the name I use at work. That’s how I first met Artist Karin, you see.”

“Hm? Where do you work, Miss Kanagi?”

“It’s at a diner with–”

“That’s right, everyone should hear this! Nagitan works at a maid cafe, and she’s amazing! She’s Super Battle Maid Nagitan, cleaning up evil for her master at the speed of light!”

“Oh, wow! A… Super Battle Maid? That sounds exciting!”

“A maid cafe!! You have to tell me where, I’ll definitely visit! You’re a real life maid, _and_ a magical girl, _and_ a Kirinite! That’s incredible!”

“Artist Karin has exaggerated slightly, but yes, I do work as a maid at a maid cafe.”

“Do the thing, Nagitan!”

“I’m not on the clock. If you want to see it, you’ll have to come visit me during work hours.”

“Aw…”

“Hey, what if we have our next meeting at Nagitan’s cafe? I’m always excited to see more maid cafes, I think it would be fun! I don’t mind hosting here at my place, but it is a little cramped…”

“…This is cramped? I’m not sure we have the same sense of scale…”

“Ah, Nagitan, we don’t really talk about it, but it seems like Ash comes from kind of a rich family, so her expectations are a bit…”

“But Ash, if we have a meeting while Miss Kanagi is working, then I don’t think she’ll be able to participate very much, and that doesn’t seem fair to her.”

“Oh, Riko’s got a good point. Gomennasai Nagitan, I didn’t really think of that.”

“It’s fine, being enthusiastic isn’t a crime. That aside, I did prepare some notes about the first volume of Kirin that I wanted to discuss with you all…”

“That’s right! Let’s get back on topic, there’s a lot that I want to say too!”

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Hey everybody, it’s good to see all your kawaii faces again! Now, let’s kick off our 13th meeting of the Magical Appreciation Society of Kirinites! Prez, have you got anything you want to say?”

“Um, right! Unfortunately, Kanagi can’t make it today, because she’s busy defending the world against the forces of darkness…”

“Idiota, save the stories for your manga. Earlier you said that she was asked to work an extra shift.”

“Senpai, don’t spoil the scene! A-anyway, I brought us a new hopeful recruit today!”

“Scusi? You dragged me here while begging me to help you fill in the numbers.”

“Um, miss? Does that mean that you don’t like Kirin?”

“Hm? Don’t be ridicola, child. I wouldn’t call myself a ‘Kirinite’, but I, Alina, can recognize that the series, while somewhat repetitive, is a well-crafted story written by someone with a true talent for the artform, and it’s an engaging and enjoyable read for a wide target audience. I wouldn’t read it if I didn’t like it.”

“Oh, so you do like it! That’s good. Karin says that anyone that likes Kirin can’t be a bad person!”

“Hold on a minute, I think I’ve seen your picture! Alina… As in, the sugoi famous artist, Alina Gray?”

“Ah, you’ve heard of me. Even if you’re a fan, don’t expect me to sign anything for you.”

“That’s okay! It’s cool just to meet you, ya know? I think your pieces about the nature of life and death are very interesting and thought-provoking, but even the ones that could count as gurokawa aren’t really my favorite kind of style, they’re more grotesque with a little bit of kawaii and I prefer kawaii with a little bit of grotesque sprinkled in, but they’re still really good, they almost have the same kind of feeling that Witches give off which is really cool because I know that Witches are really bad and we have to take them out but I always think that I really dig their aesthetic and–”

“Hey, Ash? You’re talking really fast and I don’t really get what you’re saying anymore…”

“Ah, sorry Riko! I just got so excited that I got a lil’ carried away. I can’t help myself when I start talking about things I like!”

“You have some interesting tastes. I’ve never met anyone else that recognized the _meraviglia_ of Witches. What did you say your name was?”

“Wait wait, that’s right, we haven’t done introductions yet! I’m Karin–”

“We all know that already, idiota.”

“I’m _Magical Karin_ , the magical girl born of Halloween! Give me a treat and I’ll play a trick on you!”

“Oh, I want in on this! I’m the master of kawaiido, the foreign magical girl and expert on fashion, Ashley Taylor!”

“I won’t play along with this nonsense. As we’ve already said, I am Alina Gray.”

“I’m Riko Chiaki! I’m, uh… the magical girl of… Chiaki’s bento shop! I’m still in training, but I help make some of the best bentos in Kosho!”

“Already working at your age? That’s an _ammirevole_ work ethic.”

“Riko’s amazing! She’s definitely the best bento chef her age in the whole world! And the most kawaii, too!”

“I, um, don’t think I’m _that_ amazing. Ash is way more amazing than me! She’s so fashionable, and she puts together all these really cool outfits!”

“Haha, well, I don’t mean to brag, but I do get really excited about fashion and kawaii culture. I did some customizing on this outfit too, to really bring out that gothic lolita feel.”

“Oh, Alina-senpai does some clothing design sometimes too! She made her own swimsuit from scratch, and she helped me out with costume design for a Halloween play, and she gave me a hand with some Kirin cosplay– Ah, wait a second! Kirin! We should be discussing Kirin!”

“I guess we got a bit off track! The last few chapters have really been heating up, and I love Kirin’s new design! Her outfit has a bit more edge to it, to go along with how this arc is a bit more serious, but it doesn’t overplay it and it’s a natural progression from Kirin’s previous design.”

“I was really happy that Phantom Hound Kerberos came back! He’s such a loyal dog, and he cares about Kirin so much!”

“Sì, he’s a character that’s very likable among the readerbase. I wonder if he’s been written back into the series so that he can be killed off to motivate Kirin.”

“…Huh?”

“Waaah, senpai, don’t say something like that! There’s no way that something like that would happen in Kirin!”

“Really? I think it would be a good twist, though. It would help propel Kirin’s character arc in a trajectory that could lead towards a _buona_ series finale.”

“That’s not the kind of finale that Kirin needs! And why are we talking about a finale all of a sudden?! Kirin isn’t ending anytime soon!”

“What makes you so sure about that? Kirin has had a good run, but nothing can last forever. It’s only a matter of time before the series ends, and don’t you think it would be _terribile_ if it was dragged out until it became stale instead of ending beautifully in its prime?”

“W-wha–?!”

“Alina has a point, ya know. I don’t know about the direction of the series, but nothing lasts forever. Sooner or later, everything has to come to an end…”

“Ash, are you okay? You looked sad just now…”

“Oh, sorry Riko! I didn’t mean to worry you. I was just… thinking about things. I didn’t mean to be a downer. I’m just fine, don’t worry about me!”

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Kumanosuke is here with the 19th official meeting of the Magical Appreciation Society of Kirinites! To catch everyone up, MASK is a group of us with similar circumstances that are all fans of Phantom Thief Magical Kirin! Us diehard Kirin fans like to call ourselves Kirinites, and we meet up when we can to talk about the series, as well as whatever is going on with our lives!”

“My apologies, but if you’re going to be recording this then I’d like to request that you exclude my face from the video, for personal reasons.”

“Oh, sorry Nagitan, I didn’t mean to put you in a tough spot. Don’t worry, this isn’t live, and I’ll make sure to clip out your face from the video. This is actually mostly just for my own sake, I wasn’t planning to upload it anywhere, I just wanted to make a record of our group to remember all this by.”

“I see. Certainly, given how recent events in Kamihama have been, I can understand thinking that way. Battling against a Witch like Walpurgisnacht is an event that will make one reconsider what they take for granted.”

“Cheer up, everyone! I brought lunch for everyone, my parents helped so it’s really good! Um, I think that we should all be happy, because we’re still here!”

“Thanks Riko. I just wish senpai was here too. O-oh, but I just know that she’s okay, there’s no way that she’d… I mean, she’s Alina-senpai, so I know she’s okay! But she still hasn’t shown up since then…”

“Yeah. I didn’t know her for very long, but she had her own sense of kawaii, and I thought we could’ve gotten along. I was hoping to get a chance to see her again…”

“You’ll get that chance for sure! I, Magical Karin, will definitely bring her back, just you wait!”

“Yeah, I just know ya will, but… By then, me an’ Kumanosuke probably won’t be here anymore.”

“…Ash? What do you mean by that?”

“Ah. That’s right, you were a foreign exchange student, weren’t you? It must be around that time.”

“Nagitan’s got it. Sorry I didn’t say something sooner, but I didn’t really know how ta bring it up. My term abroad is almost over, I’ll have to go back to California real soon. I probably don’t look very kawaii right now, huh? I’m glad that I’ll get to see Mommy again, but… I have some regrets, ya know?”

“…Ashley, may I see your soul gem?”

“Eh? Sure, I don’t mind, but… Oh. That’s a lot murkier than I thought it would be…”

“Wah! That’s no good! Here, as a special treat you can have one of my grief seeds!”

“Oh, thanks! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be such a downer. It’s just, I made a lot of friends in Kamihama, all of you girls and plenty others besides. And I just… I probably won’t ever see any of you again.”

“…”

“…”

“It’s okay, though! I already know that nothing lasts forever. I’ll always keep all of my friends from Kamihama in my heart, so I’ll be okay!”

“…”

“…No! No, that’s wrong!”

“R-Riko?”

“You’re wrong, Ash! Maybe things can’t always stay the same forever, but… Just because you’re moving doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye! I already learned this, but even if someone goes far away, if you care about them a lot then they can still be a part of your life! And I don’t want to say goodbye to you!”

“…Yeah, Riko’s right! We Kirinites are connected by a bond of trust that’s stronger than hyper star alloy! There’s no way that you’re getting rid of us that easily!”

“But… I’ll be all the way over in California. It’s not exactly a train ride away…”

“There are plenty of methods of keeping in touch even without meeting in person. True, it’ll be a different experience, but if everyone is motivated then I should certainly think that we can all figure it out.”

“Yeah! And I’ll come visit sometime, too! It might take a while, but I’ll get permission from my mom and dad, and I’ll save up money from the shop, and, and I’ll study English…”

“We could even go as a group! California has some big conventions too, we can all prepare some Kirin cosplay and make a Society trip of it! Ashley, you’re good at outfits, you can help with that!”

“Uuuh… You girls…”

“W-wah! She’s crying!”

“Don’t cry, Ash! My parents taught me a magic spell for making pain go away!”

“I don’t believe those are tears of pain, but here, you can have a tissue to clean your face.”

“Th-th-thanks… you girls… I’m r-really glad to have such g-good friends!”

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Hey! Looks like everyone is here and looking kawaii! Can you all hear me alright?”

“Yes! Um, I’ve never used this before, but Mom and Dad helped me set up. I can see all of you, so it’s working!”

“…”

“Artist Karin, your microphone is muted. If you click on the button in the bottom left…”

“–ere! Can you hear me now?”

“That’s better! Way to go Prez, I knew you could do it!”

“O-of course! It’s no problem for Magical Karin! I told you we could overcome anything! We figured out the time zone difficulty, there’s no way we’d get stopped by a little mic trouble!”

“That’s the spirit! Okay gang, let’s get started with the very first remote meetup for the Magical Appreciation Society of Kirinites! Kumanosuke’s got some thoughts to share about the latest chapter!”

**Author's Note:**

> I got a bit experimental with this story and decided to try doing the whole thing as dialogue-only. It was a fun experience, since it forced me to really think about each character's unique voice. It's different from my usual works (it's also my first fic without a main couple), but I'm satisfied with how it turned out.
> 
> This officially marks the closure of the NA server. I've been playing on the JP server for the past couple of months, but it still really hurts to truly say goodbye to the account that I spent over a year with. I'm glad that I got to write something for Ashley, and I hope that someday she'll get a chance to make her way across the Pacific and return to Kamihama. Until then, we'll all be waiting!


End file.
